DCHS volleyball players head to AAU national tournament

Dickson County High seniors Madison Ragland (left) and Jordan Martin are headed to the AAU National Volleyball Tournament in Florida this weekend with their Ethos Elite 17U team.
(Photo:
John Bailey/Dickson Herald
)

While the volleyball season for the Dickson County High Lady Cougars ended back in October, rising seniors Madison Ragland and Jordan Martin never stopped playing. The duo earned spots in the 17U Ethos Elite team in November.

After a busy and intense tournament season, the Ethos Elite squad is now headed to the AAU National Girls Volleyball Tournament held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports and the Orange County Convention Center June 20-23. Hundreds of the nation’s top AAU teams ranging in ages of 10 to 18 will battle for national championships.

For the two Dickson County High players, the chance to be in that kind of spotlight is just another example of how much the sport means to them, how much they want to be considered “elite”.

The Ethos Elite program – coached by Jessica Chew and Kristen Johnson – is for players who live, breath and sleep volleyball and intend to play at the collegiate level, according to the program’s website, ethosvolleyball.com. The Elite program is certainly for the serious minded with up to three-hour practices, three times a week and eight to nine tournaments between December and May.

For Jordan Martin, making the 17 Elite Ethos team was all about maximum effort and maximum determination.

“It’s a lot tougher. The teams are really strong, good players, good coaches. Everybody works as a team. Just the competition, it’s a lot faster pace…very intense.”

The team is almost a who’s who of middle Tennessee prep volleyball players.

“It’s a lot of fun. It’s a good experience to get to play with other people and it helps with your skills and you make new friends,” Martin said.

“I’ve improved as an individual in a lot of ways, my communication on and off the court. I think as a team we’ve come far.”

Martin and Ragsdale are no strangers to tough competition and hard work. They’ve been playing volleyball together since the sixth grade at Dickson Middle School.

“We follow each other everywhere,” Ragland said. “This is our first year with Ethos together. This is our first year doing nationals together. We’re like sisters.”

Making the Ethos Elite team was a true highlight for Ragland.

“I guess it brought my confidence up a little bit because I never thought I had the ability to make that kind of team.”

Check back at DicksonHerald.com for updates from the AAU National Tournament this weekend and in print next week.